Deciding to return to school may worry or scare you. You may be wondering how you'll handle another responsibility since you already have so many. As a single mom, employee, and homeowner, I've taken steps I'd like to share with you to reduce the stress of adding schoolwork to your workload. To succeed in this course, balancing your studies with other aspects of your life will guide you towards stress-free success. Take each day as it comes and do your best. Whether you are a mother, father, daughter, or anyone with a family at home, you need to set aside what I call “me time”: time for myself. by yourself so that you can accomplish as much work without any interruption. You need time to yourself to study and work on your course load without distractions. Turn off your television, turn off your radio, lock yourself in your room and study. Because my daughter is my number one priority, I find the best time to study between my work commute while my daughter is in school. I have 5 hours to myself to focus on school and do my best in my school work. The house is generally quiet, except when my dogs are hyper and noisy. Buying them more toys has gotten them to play with each other instead of begging me to play, which stresses me out less. By doing my classes during the day, it leaves my role as a mother to not interfere with school. I start my day by getting ready. I make breakfast for my daughter and myself, which gives us energy for the day. Making breakfast was stressful for me, I would open the fridge and try to figure out what to make. Now, making breakfast is easy because I plan it the night before. When I come home from work, my daughter does her homework. Normally I don't need... middle of paper... breakfast, I was more alert than ever. I'm lucky to have a job that I don't take home. It's less stressful to leave all your work tasks at work. If at home you have employees calling you or emails you need to send, don't do it during your study time. Balancing studies and work is very important for your success and if you leave aside interruptions from your work, you will have no problem continuing your studies. When you take the time to balance the tasks in your life while going to school, you will find that it greatly eases your mind and eliminates stress. Balancing your life to make time for your studies and really focus on them helps you stay sane and not feel overloaded and overwhelmed. Use your time effectively with your family, work, and home tasks to make it easier to achieve your academic goals..